Wayne Parnell is a naturally gifted allrounder who bats and bowls left-handed, and who seems to have been earmarked for success from a young age. Parnell began playing for Eastern Province's U-13 side when he was 12 and was captain the following year. He didn't make the U-15 side initially, but at the age of 15 began to play for Eastern Province and South Africa at the U-19 level.

He made his first-class debut for Eastern Province in 2006-07 and was also part of South Africa's Under-19 squad for the 2006 World Cup in Sri Lanka. The experience he gained over the years brought him the captaincy for the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia in 2008 and he led by example: taking 18 wickets, the most in the tournament, and scoring useful runs in the middle-order to steer South Africa into the final.

His best performance came in the quarter-final against Bangladesh, when he took 6 for 8 after scoring 57. The South Africa selectors were already taking note and he went on the Emerging Players tour of Australia before a call-up to the senior one-day squad for the series in early 2009. After a modest debut against the Australians, he became the youngest player to be handed a national contract by Cricket South Africa (CSA). He soon repaid their faith in him with a terrifically impressive performance in just his second ODI in April 2009.

Parnell demolished Australia in partnership with Dale Steyn, picking up 4 for 25 and a well-deserved Man-of-the-Match award. He put in a stand-out performance at the Twenty20 World Cup later that year, picking up 9 wickets at an economy rate of under 6 runs an over. After a successful stint with county Kent, Parnell's star continued to rise when he made his Test debut against England in the fourth Test at the Wanderers in January 2010. Later that month he also found himself with a new IPL contract, snapped up by Delhi Daredevils for $610,000 .